jehovahs-witness-love

FRANZ WOHLFAHRT

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:23:11 +0100

Born Koestenberg-Velden, Austria
January 18, 1920

The eldest of six children born to Catholic parents, Franz was raised in a village in the part of Austria known as Carinthia. His father was a farmer and quarryman. Disillusioned with Catholicism, his parents became Jehovah’s Witnesses during Franz’s childhood and raised their children in their new faith. As a teenager, Franz was interested in painting and skiing.

1933-39: I was apprenticed to be a house painter and decorator. After Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, like other Jehovah’s Witnesses I refused to swear an oath to Hitler or to give the Hitler salute. Neighbors reported me to the police, but my boss protected me from arrest by saying that my work was needed. When the war began in September 1939 my father was arrested for opposing military service. He was executed in December.

1940-44: Following my twentieth birthday, I refused to be inducted into the German army. In front of hundreds of recruits and officers I refused to salute the Nazi flag. I was arrested on March 14, 1940, and imprisoned. Later that year, I was sent to a penal camp in Germany. A new commander felt sorry for me; three times he saved me from execution between 1943 and 1945. He was impressed that I was willing to die rather than to break God’s command to love our neighbor and not kill.

Franz remained in Camp Rollwald Rodgau 2 until March 24, 1945. He was liberated by U.S. forces and returned to his home in Austria.

I Stand Firm

A poem by Franz Wohlfhart–imprisoned in Nazi camps from
1939-1945. Written when he thought that he would be executed
like his father and his brother.

In my faith, I will always stand firm,
Though this world may taunt and cry;
In my hope, I will always stand firm,
For a beautiful, better time.
In my love, I will always stand firm,
Though this world repays with hate;
Devoted, I will always stand firm,
Though this world disloyal stays.
From God’s Word, flows the might of the strong,
And the weak ones it powerful makes;
In God’s grace I will always stand firm–
On my own I could never remain.
With my life, I will even stand firm,
And as I my last breath confer,
You should with the dying gasp hear:
I stand firm, I stand firm, I stand firm.

HOME SWEET HOME

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:26:01 +0100

There is a place that’s safe and warm
Where the rains don’t pound
And the bees don’t swarm.
A place where hearts are aglow
and true friendships grow.

A place where true knowledge abounds
And joyful singing resounds.
Like King David of old,
my Kingdom Hall is the place I want to be
Right here and now
and into eternity.

To Mathew...

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 08:23:07 +0100

Mathew your poem is a lovely way,

To express your love,
To our heavenly Father up in heaven above,
And to explain the reason why ,
You shed all the millions of tears you cry,
Jehovah is near those in spirit who are
crushed,
We must be patient the Paradise,
Just cant be rushed,
Perfection Jehovah has got in mind,
For us his children and all righteous mankind,
Jehovah is going to make everything new,
But not just for me and not just for you,
For all our Brothers and Sisters worlwide,
And from this Satan cannot hide,
I know you are feeling so sad,
Living in this wicked world so bad,
So lets keep on the watch and,
Hold our heads up high to Satan,
We will soon say goodbye, then it,
Will be his turn to cry, Jesus will make,
Sure he is gone so that we can live in peace,
From then on, lets say the model prayer everyday,
And Jehovah will hear us all say, Our father in the
Heavens let your name be santified,
Let your Kingdom come, Let your will,
Take place as in heaven, also upon earth,
Jehovah will hear our prayer,
And before we know it we will be there,
In the new system of things, and to Jehovah,
His praises we will sing
Our loved ones we will see again, and there will be,
No more sorrow and no more pain, we will be,
Permantly happy once again,
So lets hold ourselves erect our deliverence is near,
So off out to the ministry we go, then home again,
And feet up with a cup of tea, we will have made Jehovah's,
Name known to all those we see,

Stay Faithful to the End... By Carolyn Miller

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:34:42 +0100

Everyone’s so busy and there’s trying times ahead
Some days it’s oh so difficult to even get out of bed;

There’s every kind of pressure and problems galore
We sure are getting tired of this and life is such a bore.

But we keep on trying to serve our God wholeheartedly each day
If we can just hold out to the end, we’ll be joyful and gay;

It does seem hard each day a positive outlook to have
But consider the alternative; does the world provide a salve?

Remember, the end is near, for this we’re truly grateful
To tell the truth, the ‘here and now’ is really quite a plateful;

With many worries day by day for kids, spouse, friend, and such
This life is fast and furious, but it’s sure not worth very much.

Poor health here, a bad debt there, or even loss of life;
Perhaps a really ‘plum’ type job, to enjoy the easy life.

At least that’s what he’d have us think, so from our goal we’d be
impeded But we won’t fall for that old stuff and soon he’ll be defeated.

With all the terrible and tragic things there are, my God, how can
we stand it? Yet Jehovah sees all there is and soon we know he’ll handle it.

And when he does how marvelous our lives are sure to be.
Each in his own place, no cares, nor worries, our life we’ll live
with glee.

So do not let this old world cause you to pull your hair;
The Kingdom goal for all of us is: Please Jehovah, just let me be
there.